Spacer retaining clip



1965 D. J. FREIMAN SPACER RETAINING CLIP Filed Nov. 26, 1963 INVENTOR.David J. Fre/man ATTORNEY United States Patent York Filed Nov. 26, 1963,Ser No. 326,153

2 Claims. (Cl. 206-46) The present invention relates to spacer retainingclips for retaining a plurality ofware pieces suchas sets of mixingbowls, casseroles and their covers, and the like, in cushioned,spaced-apart relationship, and more particularly to an improved,lightweight, inexpensive clip for preventing ware-to-ware contactbetween multiple-piece, ware units during storage, shipment, anddisplay.

The invention is concerned primarily with a simply applicable andremovable spacer retaining clip that protects ware from abrasion,displays the ware to its best advantage while facilitating the use ofadvertising media, and is inexpensive to manufacture.

Presently available spacers consist of tissue or corrugated papers forcushioning which do not lend themselves to attractive advertising media.These spacers often provide insufficient cushioning between parts whichresults in damage to the ware during shipment and handling. Presentretaining methods consist of banding with pressure sensitive tape whichis expensive. The pressure sensitive tape is diflicult to apply to givethe packaged unit display appeal. The use of such pressure sensitivetape requires an expensive manual labor application technique. The tapeis difflcult for the ultimate consumer of the ware to remove and theware requires additional cleansing to prepare it for its initial use.

My invention not only alleviates the problem of insufiicient cushioningand diflicult removal heretofore encountered with known types of spacerretainers, but also provides an attractive, tidy display unit and aconvenient advertising container. Basically my invention relates to aspacer retaining clip having a grasping and gripping portion, aseparating and cushioning portion, and a locking and fastening portion,for holding the multiple units of a set of ware together while beingeasily applied and removed.

It thus has been an object of my invention to provide an improved,easily appliable and removable spacer retaining clip which not onlyretains ware pieces in cushioned spaced-apart relationship, but alsofacilitates the utilization of advertising or labelling mediaintermediate the spaced-apart ware pieces.

A further object of the invention is to provide a cushioning andseparating spacer retaining clip for a set of ware.

A further object of the invention is to provide a low cost spacerretaining clip which is adapted to mass production techniques.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be shown in thefollowing detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof asillustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating one form of the spacerretaining clip of the present invention as utilized with a coveredcasserole set of ware indicated in phantom lines for the sake ofclarity.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of a spacer retaining clip providedin accordance with the invention and the ware for which it is intendedbeing shown in phantom lines.

Referring now to the drawings, a vessel 11 is shown having an uppercover portion 11a and a lower bowl portion 1112. A clip 12 of unitaryconstruction and formed of extruded rubber, plastic or any othersuitable resilient material of desired length is shown having aresilient 3,231,07 Patented Jan. 2 5, 1966 ice connecting means such asa generally fiat back or wall 13 with outwardly extending, generallyparallel portions consisting of a gripping or grasping portion 14 at anextremity, a fastening or locking portion 16 at the opposite extremityand one or more medial separating or cushioning portions 15 locatedbetween them.

The grasping portion 14 consists, at its extremity, of a downwardly orinwardly depending beam section 17, which provides a resilient contactwith a flanged portion of the upper portion 11a of vessel 11. In orderto facilitate-the removalof a clip from the vessel the upper surface ofthe gripping section is provided with a series of upwardly extendingprotuberances 18, perpendicular to the direction of removal. Thefastening and locking portion 16 consists of an upwardly or inwardlyprojecting, elastically deforming grapnel portion 19 to resilientlyenter a depressed section 20 formed in a flanged portion of vessel 11and relatively anchor the clip and the vessel. Both the beam section 17and the grapnel portion 19 are provided with outwardly curved noseportions 17 and 19' respectively, for facilitating an easy, slide-onapplication over the vessel portions.

The medial separating and cushioning portion 15, extends outwardlybeyond the grasping portion and locking portion to provide easy entrancebetween and separate the various portions of the vessel. A taper section21 is formed on the extremity of the separating portion 15 to aidrelatively inserting the clip between the portions of the vessel; and athickened body section 22, separates and cushions the vessel portions.The clip 12 thus holds the vessel portions together, but in spaced-apartrelationship so that they can be marketed as a set without abrading oneanother.

In addition, the clip 12 may be readily removed from the vessel withrelatively little effort. Thus, I have been able to provide an improved,inexpensive and easily removable spacer retaining clip which not onlyunits the various portions of a set of ware while cushioning the partsfor packaging and shipping, but also provides an opportunity toattractively display the ware by permitting the insertion of labeling oradvertising media between the spaced ware pieces.

Although I have described my invention with respect to certain specificembodiments thereof, I do not wish to be thereby limited, as variousmodifications of my invention are intended to be encompassed within itstrue spirit and scope as indicated by the following claims.

I claim:

1. In combination a Vessel and associated cover portion having flangedportions provided with depressed sections, a spacer retaining clipuniting and cushioning the flanges of said vessel and cover portion, alocking portion on said spacer retaining clip inwardly projecting andresiliently entering the depressed section in said vessel flange, atapered cushioning portion on said spacer retaining clip cushioning andseparating the said vessel and cover por tions, a grasping portion onsaid spacer retaining clip resiliently contacting an upper flangedportion of said cover, and resilient connecting means on the spacerretaining clip maintaining said locking portion, said tapered cushioningportion, and said grasping portion in substantially parallel spacedrelationship.

2. In combination with a plurality of ware articles having at least twosets of cooperably overlying flange portions provided with depressedsections, an improved lightweight spacer retaining clip cooperating witheach set of overlying flange portions for maintaining the articles in alocked, spaced-apart relationship, each said spacer retaining clipcomprising a unitary body portion of resilient material; said bodyportion having a back wall, an upper gripping portion extending from oneend of said back wall overlying the flange of the uppermost of said warearticles, a locking portion extending from the opposite end of said backWall below said gripping portion underlying the flange of the lowermostof said ware articles, and a separating and cushion portion extendingoutwardly from said back wall intermediate the ends thereof positionedbetween the said flanges of the articles; a downwardly depending beamsection forming a part of said gripping portion providing a resilientcontact with the flange of said uppermost ware article; an upwardlyprojecting grapnel portion forming a part of said locking portionresiliently engaging the depressed section of the flange of saidlowermost ware article, and the outer extremities of said grapnelportion and said gripping portion being curved outwardly in a directionaway from said separating and cushioning portion to facilitate theentrance of said clip upon the cooperating flanges of the ware articles.

References Cited by the Examiner FOREIGN PATENTS 8/1934 Norway. 1/ 1934Switzerland.

15 WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner.

DONLEY J. STOCKING, Examiner.

1. IN COMBINATION A VESSEL AND ASSOCIATED COVER PORTION HAVING FLANGEDPORTIONS PROVIDED WITH DEPRESSED SECTIONS, A SPACER RETAINING CLIPUNITING AND CUSHIONING THE FLANGES OF SAID VESSEL AND COVER PORTION, ALOCKING PORTION ON SAID SPACER RETAINING CLIP INWARDLY PROJECTING ANDRESILIENTLY ENTERING THE DEPRESSED SECTION IN SAID VESSEL FLANGE, ATAPERED CUSHIONING PORTION ON SAID SPACER RETAINING CLIP CUSHIONING ANDSEPARATING THE SAID VESSEL AND COVER PORTIONS, A GRASPING PORTION ONSAID SPACER RETAINING CLIP RESILIENTLY CONTACTING AN UPPER FLANGEDPORTION OF SAID COVER, AND RESILIENT CONNECTING MEANS ON THE SPACERRETAINING CLIP MAINTAINING SAID LOCKING PORTION, SAID TAPERED CUSHIONINGPORTION, AND SAID GRASPING PORTION IN SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL SPACEDRELATIONSHIP.